A filmmaker from Israel is slamming the BBC for pulling his documentary on the Jewish exodus from Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Ilan Ziv said in a blog post on April 27 that the BBC exhibited "a mixture of incompetence, political naivete, conscious or subconscious political pressure and ultimately, I believe, a lack of courage of broadcasters when they are faced with the complexity of the Middle East issue and the intense emotions, fears and aggression it generates." At issue is the documentary “Exile: A Myth …More

NBA Commissioner David Stern praised Jason Collins' coming out today as the first openly gay pro athlete. [HuffPo] A Spanish Jewish museum opened in Grenada, and its founders wed at the opening. [Forward] A fire has destroyed the Danish Museum of WWII resistance. [Forward] A filmmaker questioned the BBC's decision to shelve a Jewish documentary. [Guardian] A Hungarian Jewish leader was attacked ahead of the Jewish Congress. [JPost] The remaining Beastie Boys members are set to pen a memoir. [NYT] Bette …More

A UN report shows a baby killed in Gaza last November was the work of Hamas, not Israel as previously believed. The photo of Gaza-based BBC reporter Jihad al-Masharawi cradling his murdered infant made international headlines when it ran in newspapers last fall. The baby was killed during Operation Pillar of Defense, Israel’s military operation against Hamas, and the Jewish state was quickly censured for the photo. Now, a study from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says the 11-month-old was …More

Israel will be evicting Israeli settlers from property they seized from Palestinians in Hebron by April 24. [Washington Post] The Polish parliament is expected to pass a bill allowing kosher slaughter of animals to take place without having to stun the animal first. [Israel National News] BBC Radio Manchester’s managing editor defended the station's decision to cut their program, “Jewish Hour,” insisting they could represent Jewish matters in the mainstream programming. [The JC] Israeli Police …More

Two men have admitted to terrorism after their plan to bomb synagogues and churches in Manhattan was discovered. [JPost] Swastikas were spray-painted on a kosher pizzeria in a northern suburb of Paris. [Israel National News] A new study shows that Muslims are the least likely to report premarital and extra-marital sexual relations. [Forward] Daniel Sieradski points out the hypocrisy of Jewish organizations staying silent in the face of Israeli settlement building, despite the likelihood it will kill a two-state …More

What young American Jews talk about when they talk about Israel. [Haaretz] A Canadian lawmaker calls for recognition of Jewish refugees. [WJC] A suspect in the Jewish grave desecration in New Zealand confesses. [New Zealand Herald] And three teens have been arrested in connection with last month's Jewish cemetery vandalism in Hartford. [Middletown Press] An Irish-Jewish food dynasty thrives in Oregon. [Forward] Could the BBC have done more to help Hungarian Jews? [BBC] Why Jewish cooks should say "No" to …More

In Michael Jackson-esque fashion, a special box set of Amy Winehouse rarities is going to be released to raise funds for The Any Winehouse Foundation. Put together by the singer’s producers, Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi, the collection includes unheard songs, cover versions, and live tracks recorded before Winehouse’s death from alcohol poisoning last November. BBC executives have also contributed to the box set by handing over the hit-maker’s early radio sessions and TV footage. Also included …More

More than 100 broadcasters, including powerhouses BBC and NBC, are able to provide Olympic coverage in real-time due to technology developed by an Israeli startup. LiveU, a 6-year-old company headquartered in Israel, developed the remote television uplink technology that is half the size of a laptop. Globosat, Terra, TV Record, Televisa, Uno TV, and hundreds of other broadcasters are also using LiveU's technology. The BBC has been using the device for years, to air broadcasts like the Queen’s visit to …More

The BBC is still under fire following last week’s Israeli capital controversy. The British news agency received flak after it refused to designate Jerusalem as the Jewish state’s capital on its Olympic Internet profile. Now, Benjamin Netanyahu spokesman Mark Regev is continuing to protest. “I am afraid that despite your efforts, Israel is still discriminated against on the BBC’s London 2012 Olympics website,” Regev wrote to the BBC’s Middle East Bureau chief, Paul Danahar. The …More

For the summer Olympic games, the BBC created online profiles for every country and non-country participating. Each profile listed key facts, including capital, population, size and language. Each profile, that is, but Israel’s. On Wednesday, screen shots of the online sports section revealed that the BBC had replaced the slot for Israel’s capital city with its “top medal sports,” which included sailing and judo. In contrast, Palestine’s capital was listed as East …More

Amy Winehouse fans were treated to a nice surprise this week when they tuned into BBC Radio 1 and heard a new song from the late English singer/songwriter. The song, “Cherry Wine,” is actually a collaboration with Nas and will appear on the rapper’s tenth studio album, “Life is Good,” due out July 17. It’s not the first collaboration for the pair; Nas and Winehouse wrote the song “Like Smoke,” which was on Winehouse’s posthumous album “Lioness: Hidden …More

It’s not often we get to boldly go where no man has gone before. So instead, we’ll go to Britain with William Shatner, who probably wishes he were in outer space after a slip up on the BBC has led to a public apology. The “Star Trek” star was guest hosting the BBC’s satirical quiz show “Have I Got News For You” a few weeks ago when he described the town of Ilfracombe as “laced with prostitution.” He singled out the seaside North Devon town as a …More